The Hot Spot Read online

  Zaria plucked Kaleb’s shin.

  Kaleb dropped his head to his chest.

  “Jade told me the little lady you been hiding away is the same age as her mom,” Kaeden added, opening the fridge to look inside.

  “Yeah, the little old lady,” Kade teased, jumping up to sit his tall frame on the top of the island.

  “Does she breast-feed you—”

  “That’s enough!” Kaleb said sharply. “Grow the hell up.”

  The brothers all frowned and eyed each other. “Lighten up. We’re just joking,” Kade said, ever the peacemaker.

  Zaria stood up beside Kaleb, being sure to lower the T-shirt down around her hips. “They’re just jokes,” she said sweetly.

  The look of surprise on his brothers’ faces was classic. Kaleb crossed his arms over his chest and braced his hip against the edge of the island as Zaria tossed her hair and gave each of them a sultry wink before she turned and kissed him with an exaggerated moan.

  He could barely keep a smile off his face as she went around the island to walk up to each one with her hand extended. “I’m Zaria, the little old lady, and you are?” she asked Kahron.

  “Kahron . . . ma’am,” he said, shaking her hand. She moved in front of Kade, sitting on the island. “And you?”

  Kade slid off the island and removed his baseball cap, exposing his silver curls. “I’m Kade.”

  She turned to Kaeden and patiently waited. He cleared his throat and pressed his hand into hers. “I’m Kaeden.”

  Kaleb loved that she didn’t seem at all embarrassed about being in nothing but an oversized T-shirt that barely covered her shapely bottom and the top of her thighs.

  “Oh, there’s a K thing going on. Cute,” she said, before shifting her amused eyes to Kaleb. “I’ll be in the bedroom.”

  She bent over and hunched her back and pretended to use a cane as she walked away like the old woman they accused her of being. The sound of her delighted laughter sounded just before Kaleb’s bedroom door shut.

  Kaleb chuckled at the look of surprise still on their faces. “Besides being made fools out of, what can I help you with?” He scooped up his discarded jeans and boxers, then grabbed Zaria’s delicate lace panties from the floor as well, sliding them into his pocket.

  “No wonder you’re sniffing around her tail so hard,” Kade said, sliding his cap back on his head.

  “We’re just friends,” Kaleb told them.

  Kade looked at him. “But what about your plans?” he asked.

  “I’m still looking for the one.”

  The three brothers headed for the front door. “We’ll see you at church?” Kaeden asked. Kaleb shook his head. “I doubt it but I’m coming for dinner,” he said.

  “Sorry about that,” Kade said, tapping his fist against Kaleb’s before he walked out the door.

  As soon as they were gone, Zaria came back out of the room, still dressed in the T-shirt. “You and your brothers sure are a handsome bunch,” she said. “So you’re all prematurely gray?”

  Kaleb nodded. “My sister Kaitlyn, too, but she dyes it. We get it from our dad.”

  “It works for y’all,” she said, coming over to wrap her arms around his waist.

  Kaleb pressed a kiss to her temple as he wrapped one strong arm around her. “My mom and sisters-in-law cook a big dinner every Sunday . . . Do you want to go with me?”

  She didn’t answer for a long time, and he felt the tension in her body. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she finally said.

  Kaleb felt intensely disappointed but he didn’t show it as he scooped her up into his arms. “No biggie,” he lied. “Let’s get you dressed and let me show you the farm.”

  Zaria buried her face into his neck as he carried her back into the bedroom.

  Zaria leaned against the paddock fence, amazed as Kaleb rode the stallion as if their bodies were united. She was intrigued by the strength and control he used while still having a gentle quality and respect for the animal. A piece of her regretted turning down his offer to ride with him.

  She grew up in the South, but her upbringing had been far from the rural nature of a little town like Holtsville, where there was more dirt than concrete and life definitely moved at a more laid-back pace. And she could tell that Kaleb loved his farm and was proud of his accomplishments.

  And for his young age, he should be proud. She’d met men twice his age with less drive and ambition.

  As the wind blew up loose dirt, she covered her face with her shirt, knowing she would need a trip to her hairstylist to get her weave thoroughly washed and restyled. But it was worth it to see Kaleb in his element.

  As he steered the horse toward her at a slow trot, she smiled and waved at him. “You handle a horse well, Kaleb,” she called up to him.

  “Sure you don’t want to go for a ride?” he asked, his voice seeming even more deep and powerful.

  Zaria shook her head. “I’m good.”

  Kaleb laughed.

  When his eyes shifted up to look off into the distance beyond her, Zaria turned to follow his gaze. Her eyes opened a bit in surprise at the four-wheeler coming toward them. They opened wider to see an older woman in her midfifties steering the vehicle with a teenaged girl by her side.

  Zaria knew it was Kaleb’s mother. She looked down at her oversized clothing now dusty and wrinkled and unkempt. Her hair was windblown and fuzzy. She knew she looked a hot mess. She glanced at Kaleb and he gave her an apologetic shake of his head.

  “Hi, Uncle Kaleb,” the teenage girl shouted with an enthusiastic wave of her hand.

  The four-wheeler slowed to a stop. The woman, with her skin barely weathered and her silky silver hair cut in a stylish short style, stepped down easily and came up to Zaria with a smile on her face and her hand extended. “So you’re the gal keeping my son all tied up lately,” she said, her voice strong and filled with no nonsense.

  Wiping her hand on her jeans, Zaria shook the woman’s hand. “I’m Zaria. Zaria Ali,” she said.

  “Call me Lisha, and this is my eldest grandbaby, Kadina,” Lisha said as the teen stepped forward.

  Zaria eyed her. “Let me guess—you’re Kade’s daughter,” she said. “You look just like him.”

  Kadina smiled like a teen beauty pageant contestant. “Everybody says that,” she said, even as she side-eyed Zaria’s get-up.

  “Kaleb said my clothes were too fancy to wear around the ranch,” she explained.

  Lisha cut her son a chastising eye. “He could have gotten something from my daughter Kaitlyn for you.”

  “Yeah, Uncle Kaleb,” Kadina added, walking over to easily climb atop the fence to pet the nose of the horse in her shorts and tank top.

  “Kaleb, why don’t you take Kadina for a ride?” Lisha suggested gently.

  “Zaria and I are just friends. No need for the third degree, Ma,” Kaleb said, shifting in his saddle.

  “I’m not going to grill her, Kaleb. Don’t be silly.” Lisha waved her hand dismissively.

  “Come on, Uncle Kaleb,” Kadina said, standing on the top rung of the fence to climb onto the saddle behind her uncle. She placed her arms behind her to hold the notch on the cantle of the saddle.

  Zaria saw Kaleb give his mother a strong and stern look before he guided the horse into a gallop.

  “You know I love my family, Zaria,” Lisha began, leaning against the hood of the four-wheeler.

  Zaria remained silent and turned her gaze to watch Kaleb and his niece on the horse, even as her heart raced.

  “Kaleb is my quiet son, my reflective son. He loves easily and deeply even when he doesn’t show it,” she continued. “And when he finds that special woman, he will love her deeper than any sea God ever created.”

  Zaria thought of the way he held her as they slept or the way he blessed her with kisses for no reason at all, and she could believe his mother’s words. Kaleb had the build and the stance of a fighter, but deep down he was a lover.

  “Now, y’all age differe
nce don’t mean nothing to me as long as you two are on the same page,” Lisha said.

  Her tone made Zaria look over at her.

  Lisha smiled but her eyes were steely when she said, “Just make sure you’re both on the same page. You hear?”

  Translation: Don’t hurt my son.

  Zaria got the message clearly.

  CHAPTER 8

  Three months later

  Zaria checked her hair in the rearview mirror at the red light before accelerating her white VW Bug forward when the light changed to green. She glanced at the digital clock on the dash and made a face.

  She was supposed to have met Kaleb thirty minutes ago. She had called twenty minutes ago to say she was on the way. Another five minutes passed before she finally pulled into the parking lot of the Gaillard Theatre in Charleston. As soon as she raced across the parking lot in her four-inch heels and skintight dress, she saw Kaleb standing out front pacing and glancing at his watch.

  “I made it,” she said, breathless as she eyed how handsome he looked in all black.

  “I swear you’re going to be late to your own funeral, Zaria,” he told her.

  She frowned, thinking he sounded more like her father than her friend. “Let’s just go in,” she said, pulling the glass door open and walking in ahead of him.

  Kaleb caught up to her and slid his arm around her waist. “Hey,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks for coming.”

  Zaria softened her stance. “Let’s just go in and enjoy the show. Okay?” she asked, giving him a soft peck on the corner of his mouth.

  In truth, Zaria was beginning to feel like her life was in a rut. She went to work, came home, and prepared to spend whatever free time she had with Kaleb. Nothing much else differed. She couldn’t even remember the last time she went out dancing. Her world was becoming wrapped up in Kaleb, and that worried her. It was a road she didn’t want to travel again, especially since she knew their interlude was just that. There was no forever and happily-ever-after for them.

  She never thought they would be together even this long . . . and she was considering ending things because she felt herself getting attached. They began leaving the solitude of each other’s homes and doing more things together. Dinners. Plays. Walks in the park. Trips to the beach.

  Somewhere along the line, their casual and flirty affair began feeling and looking more like a fullblown relationship. As much as she enjoyed his company, she wasn’t looking to be half of a couple. But that was exactly what they had become.

  And knowing he wanted more from her than she was ready to give, his mother’s words of warning haunted more and more of late: As long as you’re both on the same page . . .

  But were they?

  As Kaleb lightly guided her to their seats, Zaria fought the urge to shake off his touch. Dating younger men had meant she had the control in the relationship, but that wasn’t the case with Kaleb. He was a man’s man, and of late she had easily slipped into the role of following his lead.

  That was yet another no-no.

  Her control in the relationship was gone. She was used to younger men who jumped when she said jump, who catered to her and answered her silly whims. She liked molding them into what she wanted.

  Kaleb Strong was having none of that.

  Zaria remembered when she first asked him to go out at two a.m. to get her favorite ice cream. Kaleb had politely but firmly let her know that there was no ice cream on earth good enough to make anyone in their right mind go searching for it at two in the morning.

  That was a first. Zaria had made the demand before in the past, and other, far more willing young men had fulfilled her request with amusing eagerness.

  As the lights dimmed and the chatter of the small crowd faded, the curtains opened, showing a large band and a lone microphone in the center of the stage. Jazz music soon filled the air, and the audience applauded as a quartet strolled onto the stage singing in harmony.

  Zaria settled her elbow on the armrest between them and set her chin in her hand as Kaleb draped his arm across the back of her seat. As he began to tap his foot in time to the music, Zaria felt herself being lulled to sleep. Several times she caught her eyes closing and her elbow almost slipping off the armrest.

  The combination of a hard week at work, sometimes working days with near double shifts, and the fact that she preferred the energy and flow of hip-hop over jazz took what could have been just slight boredom to Kaleb gently shaking her awake.

  “Huh? What? I wasn’t asleep,” she protested as she sat up straight and wiped a thin line of drool from her chin. Several people around her turned to glare or shhh her.

  She looked over at Kaleb and then down at the unmistakable wet spot on his shoulder. Damn, I was sleeping that hard, she thought.

  “You were snoring louder than a grizzly bear,” he whispered in her ear.

  Zaria was flooded with embarrassment, imagining the scene she made. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed to him, somewhat relieved to see the hint of a smile around his mouth.

  Still, for the remaining hour of the concert, Zaria did everything she could to focus and try to enjoy what she knew was good music. She chewed gum. She crossed and uncrossed her legs. She shifted in her seat. She sighed. She scratched her scalp. She took off her shoes and slipped them back on.

  Basically, she knew for a fact that as much as Kaleb enjoyed himself, the whole jazz thing wasn’t her cup of tea.

  When the performers took their final bows and the audience gave them a standing ovation, Zaria hurried to her feet.

  “Was that as torturous for you as it seemed?” Kaleb asked as they filed out of the auditorium with the rest of the crowd.

  Zaria looked up at him and bit back a smile. “I’m sorry. You would think the fortysomething would be the one to love jazz, but it’s not my thing. I’m sorry,” she said again, reaching out to lightly grab his arm.

  “It’s cool,” he said.

  He loves easily and deeply even when he doesn’t show it.

  Zaria wondered what other emotions Kaleb kept to himself. Was he truly angry or disappointed and just not showing it?

  They reached the outside, and the summer breeze felt and smelled delicious as they strolled along with the crowd toward their parking spot. She enjoyed just being at his side, just being surrounded by his presence and getting lost in his scent. And it filled her with so many mixed emotions.

  Kaleb Strong was a dangerous man. Not violent or mean or destructive by any measure, but he was completely loveable. Totally addictive. Achingly satisfying.

  And that was all wrong for something casual and temporary.

  “You hungry?” Kaleb asked, the light from the lampposts causing the silver flecks of his hair to shimmer.

  “No, but these heels were not made for this long journey back to the car,” she joked, fighting the urge to kick off the stilettos and walk barefoot.

  Kaleb pointed. “My SUV is right there. I’ll drive you to your car.”

  Zaria nearly fainted in relief because her pinky toe was catching all kinds of hell!

  As soon as he opened the door and helped her up into the seat, Zaria kicked off her shoes. When Kaleb gently twisted her around and took one of her feet into his hands to massage it, Zaria leaned forward and planted a kiss on the top of his head, inhaling the scent of his shampoo.

  He tilted his head up and smiled a little before kissing her in the most casually intimate way before looking back down at the work he put in on her feet.

  Just as long as you’re both on the same page . . .

  A man like Kaleb Strong deserved to be loved, to be a father and a husband. To have a wife who looked at him with the same love and devotion that he gave her.

  Zaria felt breathless, and tears filled her eyes as she was overcome with an overwhelming sadness—not only did she know that she would never be that woman, but also she was possibly stopping him from finding the one to complete him.

  “Let’s go dancing,” she told him,
swallowing down the emotion filling her throat.

  Kaleb frowned as he looked at her. “At a club?” he said.

  “Yes, at a club,” Zaria said with enthusiasm. “Let’s go have fun—I mean, more fun.”

  Kaleb laughed as he stepped forward to grab her thighs with both his hands. “And then what?” he whispered against her mouth.

  Zaria shivered like she was naked in the cold, when just like that his nearness made her hot, as if she were standing in fire. She brought her hand up and cupped the side of his strong and handsome face, tilting her chin up to trace his mouth with her tongue. “And then we go back to my place. Deal?”

  She was pleasantly surprised when he nodded in agreement with one last taste of her mouth. Kaleb Strong was not a man easily convinced to do something he didn’t want to do. He was nothing like her Hot Boyz jumping and bending to her whims with the flexibility of a strand of grass in wind.

  He was nothing like most men his age at all.

  “You sure we’re not overdressed?” Kaleb asked as they walked up to the entrance of Club Imagine in North Charleston.

  “No,” Zaria told him, grabbing his wrist to lead him inside the club.

  Kaleb watched her. She was already grooving side to side as they stood in line, as if she couldn’t wait to hit the dance floor. All of the sleepiness she had earlier was gone.

  Although he was the younger of the two, she was far more excited than him to get in a club. It had never really been his thing. He was a country boy who loved farming, hunting, and working with his hands. Sipping on drinks, and posted up on the wall while profanity-laced music blared hard enough to give a dead man life never turned him on.

  He paid their entrance fee and let Zaria guide him into the dimly lit club. It reminded him of the first night he met her while she was bartending and he had sat up in the club waiting to see if she had caught on and cared about his hint that he would be waiting for her there.

  Zaria didn’t even bother with a table as she tucked her purse under her arm and started dancing to some bass-driven rap song, saying, “That’s my song right there!”